Medical emergencies happen and CPR and first aid training can mean the difference

STAFF WRITER |

The Record

Would you know what to do if a man at your daughter's softball game goes into cardiac arrest? Could you properly tend to someone with a broken bone or bleeding profusely?

The civilian in the cowboy hat provided the initial help to this Boston casualty.

Police officers, firefighters and ambulance teams are first responders, but before they arrive, it is the average citizens who are truly the first ones there. Proper CPR and first-aid training through classes

Good Samaritans came to the aid of people in Little Ferry after Sandy.

run by the Red Cross, American Heart Association or local hospitals can mean the difference for people, particularly those in cardiac arrest.

"Of course you're going to call 911, but as we've seen, it's those crucial first few moments that could mean the difference," said Diane Concannon, chief communications officer for the American Red Cross, North Jersey region. "Do you know what to do in those first five, 10 minutes until help arrives?"

By KARA YORIO

As much as nearby medical personnel and police officers came to the aid of the injured last week at the Boston Marathon, it was also spectators and runners who tied tourniquets — in some cases with the shirts off their backs — bandaged wounds, kept the injured conscious and got them evacuated from the area and to an ambulance.

With superstorm Sandy, which hit North Jersey six months ago this coming Monday, North Jerseyans learned that sometimes the emergency responders can't get to the scene right away.

Lt. Matthew Tiedemann of the Bergen County Office of Emergency Management said that in natural disasters, it is especially important to have more people in the community with proper training.

"Mostly for self-preservation," he said. "But also if you need to help a friend, neighbor, or a family member. There may be an extended response time for emergency services due to the nature of the incident. There may be multiple calls going on. They may not be able to get to the residents because of power lines down or trees down or flooding conditions."

The need for first-aid and CPR training is not reserved for these relatively rare events. In the typical day-to-day emergencies of a broken bone, bad cut or heart attack, in particular, it is the people closest to those in need who must know what to do.

"We're talking about sudden cardiac arrest and time is obviously of the utmost importance when resuscitative efforts are initiated," said Dr. Joseph Yallowitz, director of emergency medicine at Valley Hospital in Ridgewood. "Police and firemen are great because they get there really fast in our communities and start it but many bystanders in the public are not educated, plus it's scary, so it's hard to do. But mortality is so high for this that the only chance the patient has is to beginning resuscitative efforts quickly."

Tiedemann says he often sees the public stepping in before the first responders arrive, but it is "50-50" that they are taking the correct action.

"There are some people out there that have taken the time to take a first-aid or CPR course on their own, whether it's just for themselves or their family or their kids, and those people are usually willing to step in and help when necessary," Tiedemann said. "But then there are also some people that watch TV and think they know what's going on and they do more harm than good sometimes."

In cardiac arrest, another aid is the automatic defibrillator or AED. When Yallowitz goes to watch his children play ball or to an event at a public place, he immediately looks to see where the AED is located. Those machines give users instructions and often mean the difference between life and death, said Yallowitz, so more people need to know they are available and where they are.

"We would love to see more awareness about this," he said.

The defibrillators, though, do not work on every patient, so knowing CPR is vital.

As we head toward another outdoor season of sporting activities and into the summer with barbecues, swimming and camping, seasonal emergencies will start to arise — broken bones, cuts, fainting.

"You see all sorts of things, home remedies and wives-tales types of things," said Yallowitz. "It would be great if there was a lot more public awareness of what to do."

Concannon notes that the Red Cross, in addition to running training classes, also has created multiple apps that offer instruction for first aid.

Emergency situations are frightening, there is no doubt, but the idea behind classes is that proper training can kick in, pushing the emotions aside in the immediate aftermath.

"We want more [people] in the community to be ready to respond," said Concannon. "When you're trained, you just react. You know what to do. The training kicks in."

Medical emergencies happen and CPR and first aid training can mean the difference

Would you know what to do if a man at your daughter's softball game goes into cardiac arrest? Could you properly tend to someone with a broken bone or bleeding profusely?

Police officers, firefighters and ambulance teams are first responders, but before they arrive, it is the average citizens who are truly the first ones there. Proper CPR and first-aid training through classes

Good Samaritans came to the aid of people in Little Ferry after Sandy.

run by the Red Cross, American Heart Association or local hospitals can mean the difference for people, particularly those in cardiac arrest.

"Of course you're going to call 911, but as we've seen, it's those crucial first few moments that could mean the difference," said Diane Concannon, chief communications officer for the American Red Cross, North Jersey region. "Do you know what to do in those first five, 10 minutes until help arrives?"

As much as nearby medical personnel and police officers came to the aid of the injured last week at the Boston Marathon, it was also spectators and runners who tied tourniquets — in some cases with the shirts off their backs — bandaged wounds, kept the injured conscious and got them evacuated from the area and to an ambulance.

With superstorm Sandy, which hit North Jersey six months ago this coming Monday, North Jerseyans learned that sometimes the emergency responders can't get to the scene right away.

Lt. Matthew Tiedemann of the Bergen County Office of Emergency Management said that in natural disasters, it is especially important to have more people in the community with proper training.

"Mostly for self-preservation," he said. "But also if you need to help a friend, neighbor, or a family member. There may be an extended response time for emergency services due to the nature of the incident. There may be multiple calls going on. They may not be able to get to the residents because of power lines down or trees down or flooding conditions."

The need for first-aid and CPR training is not reserved for these relatively rare events. In the typical day-to-day emergencies of a broken bone, bad cut or heart attack, in particular, it is the people closest to those in need who must know what to do.

"We're talking about sudden cardiac arrest and time is obviously of the utmost importance when resuscitative efforts are initiated," said Dr. Joseph Yallowitz, director of emergency medicine at Valley Hospital in Ridgewood. "Police and firemen are great because they get there really fast in our communities and start it but many bystanders in the public are not educated, plus it's scary, so it's hard to do. But mortality is so high for this that the only chance the patient has is to beginning resuscitative efforts quickly."

Tiedemann says he often sees the public stepping in before the first responders arrive, but it is "50-50" that they are taking the correct action.

"There are some people out there that have taken the time to take a first-aid or CPR course on their own, whether it's just for themselves or their family or their kids, and those people are usually willing to step in and help when necessary," Tiedemann said. "But then there are also some people that watch TV and think they know what's going on and they do more harm than good sometimes."

In cardiac arrest, another aid is the automatic defibrillator or AED. When Yallowitz goes to watch his children play ball or to an event at a public place, he immediately looks to see where the AED is located. Those machines give users instructions and often mean the difference between life and death, said Yallowitz, so more people need to know they are available and where they are.

"We would love to see more awareness about this," he said.

The defibrillators, though, do not work on every patient, so knowing CPR is vital.

As we head toward another outdoor season of sporting activities and into the summer with barbecues, swimming and camping, seasonal emergencies will start to arise — broken bones, cuts, fainting.

"You see all sorts of things, home remedies and wives-tales types of things," said Yallowitz. "It would be great if there was a lot more public awareness of what to do."

Concannon notes that the Red Cross, in addition to running training classes, also has created multiple apps that offer instruction for first aid.

Emergency situations are frightening, there is no doubt, but the idea behind classes is that proper training can kick in, pushing the emotions aside in the immediate aftermath.

"We want more [people] in the community to be ready to respond," said Concannon. "When you're trained, you just react. You know what to do. The training kicks in."